Peter is 5 months old (and one week)!

At Peter's last doctor appointment he was 16 lbs, 3 oz (66th %) and 28 inches tall (98th %). The dr. was not concerned that he hasn't gained much wieght since a month ago, and recommended not starting solid foods yet, except for maybe rice cereal in the evening to see if it will help him sleep better at night.

He is now rolling over from his tummy to his back, and does so almost as soon as you lay him down on his tummy. He is almost rolling back to his tummy, but gets his arm stuck under him and can't get all the way. He enjoys the exersaucer we are borrowing from friends and no longer spends much time in the swing. He has "velcro fingers" and grabs onto anything that is within his reach. He's definitely found his voice. He squeals in delight and screams in anger. Thankfully we hear more of the first and less of the latter. His "tired sound" is still a groaning sigh.

Unfortunately things in the sleeping department have gone steadily downhill. He has gone from taking mostly short naps (less than one hour) but having 4-5 longer naps (more than an hour) each week to having no naps that are longer than one hour. At all. They average 30-40 minutes. He does this about 3 times a day and really needs a fourth nap otherwise he is super cranky by bedtime. At night he has gone from occassinally sleeping all night after the dream feed and occassionally waking up, to always waking up during the middle of the night and not going back to sleep unless he has eaten. He has also started waking up before his dreamfeed or right at the time I usually feed him. It seems like he's waking earlier and earlier in the morning, too.

Now, most people when they hear that Peter takes short naps will say to me "maybe he just doesn't need much sleep". I've considered that and have even tried to accept that. I've considered every possibility and I think I've tried everything I have heard of to encourage longer naps. Nothing has helped and things have only gotten worse. If it continues this way he won't be taking any naps and will soon be sleeping less in a 24 hour period than I do. I think he currently sleeps less than Cora does, or maybe the same amount! But the problem that I am having with just accepting that he is a short napper is that it is effecting his personality/mood. Since the day he was born he has had a sunny disposition and has been easy going. Along with this downward spiral in his sleep habits I am seeing his mood become more cloudy and cranky. My prayer is that this is a phase that he will soon move out of on his own and that he will not become so chronically overtired that it has any long-term affects on him. Please also pray with me. I am honestly frustrated by this and concerned for my little boy.


A note of praise: a while back I asked for your prayers regarding Peter's impetigo. Within a week of asking for prayer the rash cleared up quickly and almost completely. We have to keep an eye on those areas of his face because it seems sensitive and the Dr. thinks it's a little bit of excema. Thank you for praying with us!
Also - sweet Gidget has the green light to start rehabilitating her foot and using it to walk a little bit!